Solid but safe show at E3 sees Nintendo detailing Super Mario 3D World, Mario
Kart 8, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Sonic: Lost World and New Super
Smash Bros.

•Super Mario 3D World for Wii U is four-person multiplayer, due in December •Mario Kart 8 will release in Spring 2014 •Wii Party U and Wii Fit U delayed until 'later this year' and 'winter' respectively •Drawing tool Art Academy announced •Platinum Games' The Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2 due 23 August and 2014 respectively •Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze announced, due this year •New Monolithsoft game, X, is seamless, open-world RPG •New Super Smash Bros. announced for Wii U and 3DS, due in 2014

Nintendo took the unusual step of not putting on a live press conference at E3 to detail its upcoming titles, instead preferring to broadcast a Nintendo Direct video before allowing the press to get hands-on on the show floor. It showed off several games, including Super Mario 3D World --a multiplayer Mario game for Wii U, Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. Universe.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata started off the video by showing new footage of 3DS title Pokemon X & Y and announcing Hey You, Pikachu! for the 3DS.

Then it was onto a brand new 3D Mario for the Wii U. Super Mario 3D World features four-person multiplayer and brand new power-ups, such as the Cat Suit, which allows Mario and his companions --Luigi, Toad and Princess Peach-- to clamber up walls and bound across the levels. Iwata said that the multiplayer mode can be as competitive or co-operative as you choose. Super Mario 3D World will release December 2013.

Next was Mario Kart 8 for Wii U, a brand new entry into the hugely popular kart racing series due in Spring 2014.

The Wii U has struggled for first-party titles since its launch, causing pick-up of the console to be slow. Iwata was apologetic for fans, thanking them for their patience, and revealed that Wii Party U and Wii Fit U will be delayed until later this year and winter respectively, rather than the original plan for a summer release. There was no new information on Wii Fit U, other than Nintendo were working on 'new features'.

However, Wii Party U got an airing, showing off mini-games that can be played on the Wii U Gamepad.

After evangelising about the terrific artwork users have posted on the Miiverse social channel, Iwata showed off a Wii U version of the 3DS software Art Academy. The digital drawing and painting tool will teach you art lessons, and feature your palette and canvas on the Wii U Gamepad.

Next Nintendo featured a showreel of the upcoming third-party titles such as Batman Arkham Origins, Assassin's Creed IV and the exclusive Sonic title, Lost World. Platinum Games, one of Nintendo's better partnerships for the Wii U, also showed off The Wonderful 101 --a Wii U strategy action game-- and the fantastic looking Bayonetta 2, both Wii U exclusives. The Wonderful 101 is set for release on 23 August, while Bayonetta is scheduled for next year.

The beautiful Wii U remake of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was demoed and dated for October. Nintendo also announced a Wii U sequel to the excellent Donkey Kong Country Returns, called Tropical Freeze, due later this year. It's being developed by Retro Studios, and features Donkey Kong battling penguin vikings.

A brand new game from Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolith Soft titled X was then shown. Iwata said that X --an RPG in which players will fly and ride in giant robots-- will deliver a 'seamless, open-world experience.' It looked terrific, and was arguably the highlight of Nintendo's show. It's due in 2014.

The final game to be detailed was the expected reveal of New Super Smash Bros., the fighting game that pits Nintendo's video game characters against each other in fast-paced arena battles. The game was announced for both 3DS and Wii U, and features Capcom's Mega Man as a playable character. New Super Smash Bros. will also be released for both formats in 2014.

All the games in Nintendo's show looked great. However, the general feeling was that it was a solid but safe show, Nintendo relying on their tried and tested franchises without really showing off any of the unique capabilities of the Wii U gamepad. Also disappointing was that so many of the games were due in 2014. The Wii U needs the games to start coming thick and fast, and a Christmas without a strong catalogue up against the next-gen consoles of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 could see the Wii U continue to struggle. However, glimpses of magic from Super Mario 3D World, Bayonetta 2 and particularly X allow plenty of room for optimism.